Free Press provides transcript of Chelios Report

As noted previously, Detroit Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios spoke to WDFN's Stoney and Wojo on Thursday, and the Detroit Free Press has provided a partial transcript of the interview:

April 4, Detroit Free Press: Question: Now as the season nears a close has the respect level for Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterbeg risen by opponents and by referees over the course of season or is not yet to that point?

Chris Chelios: I don't know. I think what you're seeing now is that there are teams fighting for their lives for the playoffs and every game means so much. It's more physical and guys are playing harder on Pav and Hank, it makes it tougher on them. I'm always going to feel this way that I think Detroit, for a team, with as much skill as we have the amount of penalties that our team takes, it doesn't seem like for a team that's got the puck for most of the game it should be a little more lopsided in our favor, and it hasn't been. It just seems like the same old story; they just even things up and call penalties for the sake of calling penalties. As long as both teams have around the same amount it doesn't really benefit us. I wish they called it like they're supposed to, as opposed to calling it just to even it out.

Question: You ok with the health of the team heading into the next week? Is Brad Stuart going to be ready to go Drapes, Homer, what's that about?

Chelios: A week ago we felt pretty good about our guys coming back getting healthy, but now we lost Malts to a leg injury, Drapes a groin, you'll never know when that's going to come around. Homer this thing is lingering on and I think he's just waiting till the last game to play and just go for it when he gets to the playoffs, and see if he can last, but Stuart same thing he's going to be really close. It's going to be three weeks to the playoffs before we're ready to start and he's going to be right on the bubble too. Where we were looking good, right now it's very questionable if we're going to be healthy coming into the playoffs.

Question: Do you ever get into that whole jinx thing? Teams that win the Presidents' Trophy don't win the Cup, although you guys have before. Do you care at all about that?

Chelios: We do care. We do want to win the Presidents' Trophy. We do want to win the Jennings Trophy for goals against. If we do win it the next day it's like it never happened, and our focus and our mindset is on being successful in the playoffs and everybody in Detroit, obviously, they're spoiled and it's all about the Stanley Cup and we know that, but in the same token we take a lot of pride in having a great regular season and I think that's our job and we put out that effort all year. Our reward will be that Presidents' Trophy and if you don't have a great playoff at least you do have that. There's so many things happen, you're seeing it with the injuries. I think if we're a healthy team there's no better team than us. It's just a matter of going out and proving it.